By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Jim Martin has qualified to run for Place 3 on the Pelham City Council during the city’s upcoming municipal elections.

Martin, who has been living in Pelham for more than 60 years, said he would like to work to recruit more businesses to the city while looking at reducing Pelham’s sewer rates.

“First of all, we have to do something about our sewer rates to help our people in Pelham,” Martin said.

He said bringing businesses to the city is the “biggest problem” facing the city over the next several years, and said he has some plans to fill vacant storefronts in the city.

“We have to do something to keep our businesses here, and to get new businesses to come to Pelham,” Martin said. “We have to reach out to people and different businesses.

“I would like to see a new car dealership where the Stacks furniture store was. I have been talking to someone about this.”

Martin, who worked as a construction superintendent for 32 years and is currently serving as a deacon at Oak Mountain Baptist Church, said he is in support of maintaining the city’s donations to schools, and said he would not be in favor of immediately constructing a new Pelham Library.

“I do not think the schools are hurting, we just need to keep our children safe,” Martin said. “We do not need to build a new library at this time because the library we have is OK for now. Most people have computers, (and) they go online to read. Even a lot of children do this.”

He said he would work to bring large events such as concerts and car shows to the Pelham Civic Complex to help offset the facility’s annual deficit, and said he would be in favor of hiring a new director for the complex.

Martin has qualified to run for Place 3 on the council against fellow candidates David Ladewig, Mildred Lanier and Beth McMillan.

Pelham’s municipal elections will be held on Aug. 28 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex.